Nemanja Bjelica reportedly staying in Europe due to family reasons

Nemanja Bjelica reportedly staying in Europe due to family reasons

Philadelphia 76ers fans are now left wondering what exactly happened with former Minnesota Timberwolves forward Nemanja Bjelica.

After the 30-year-old free agent had agreed to terms with the Sixers, it was revealed by ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski Tuesday that he will instead stay in Europe.

Free agent forward Nemanja Bjelica — who had agreed to a one-year deal with the 76ers — informed the team on Monday that he will stay in Europe this season, league sources tell ESPN. He never signed his contract with Philadelphia.

Source confirms free agent forward Nemanja Bjelica had agreed to deal with Sixers but has decided to return to Europe and play there partly for personal, family reasons #Sixerspic.twitter.com/KyrPRsXXMY

It’s certainly a big blow for the Sixers, as the expectation was that Bjelica would fill the void left by Ersan Ilyasova heading to the Bucks in free agency. The team has now lost one of its top options to be a key stretch-four off the bench.

Over his three NBA seasons, Bjelica averaged 6.1 points and 3.8 rebounds per game but is coming off a season in which he made 41.5 percent of his 3-point attempts while playing 20.5 minutes per game with the Timberwolves.

Philly could now look at someone like former second-round pick Jonah Bolden to fill that role, assuming they believe he’s ready to play at the NBA level. The acquisition of Wilson Chandler to play on the second unit now looks even more vital than it previously did.